SANDPOINT – Sandpoint girls lacrosse suffered their first loss of the season Wednesday to Gonzaga Prep, 9-3, at War Memorial Field.

The Bulldogs started the game off on the right foot with three quick goals from Kayla Beers, Theresa Sloan, and Alexis Downs. In turn, Gonzaga Prep quickly called a timeout to settle their nerves. Head coach Ashley Chaconas made the right call as the Bullpups did not give up a goal in the remaining 45 minutes of the game.

“This wasn’t our best game. To go from up three to zero and then never score again was a bit disheartening. I do feel like we learned a lot from this game and it will serve us well for the rest of the season,” Sandpoint head coach Nancy Dooley said.

Gonzaga Prep’s big three – Reagan Jones, Kathryn Malek, and Jenna McGann – did a majority of the damage with a combined seven goals for the Bullpups. Jones had three goals while Malek and McGann netted two each.

The biggest problem point for the Bulldogs was in the ground ball department; Gonzaga Prep amassed 34 ground balls whereas Sandpoint only was able to secure six. Gonzaga Prep also did a great job at shutting down Sandpoint’s leading scorer on the season, Rowan Davis, as they often triple-teamed her on every scoring approach.

“Our shots just weren’t falling and we couldn’t get in a rhythm offensively. The credit needs to go to their goalie for a great performance and their super tough defense,” Dooley said.

Bullpups goalie, Sophia Schwab, had 12 saves on the night. In net for the Bulldogs was Eva Sloan who, despite taking the loss, had eight saves of her own versus the high-powered Bullpup offense.

“We will regroup after spring break and come out fighting when we match up against them again … We just need to play our game and not get frazzled,” Dooley said.

The Bulldogs will be back in action on Wednesday, April 12 versus Mead at Mt. Spokane High School.

GONZAGA PREP 9, SANDPOINT 3

GOALS: Gonzaga Prep – Jones 3, Malek 2, McGann 2, Lalonde, Fernandes. Sandpoint – Beers, Downs, Sloan.

ASSISTS: Gonzaga Prep – None. Sandpoint – Gavin.

GBALLS: Gonzaga Prep – Malek 7, Fernandes 6, McGann 4, Gross 3, Jones 3, Schwab 3, Spakousky 2, Litscher 2, Lalonde 2, Dugger, Schmidt. Sandpoint – Bode 3, Browne, Downs, Gavin.

FACE-OFFS: Gonzaga Prep – McGann 4, Dahle, Fernandes, Malek, Gross. Sandpoint – Davis 3, Browne 2, Bode 2, Gavin.